Dispute on Lake Neusiedl

Has UNESCO prevented a project worth millions?

Richard Steinböck would have liked to renovate and expand his "Hotel Weinland" for cycling and cultural tourists.(Bild: zVg)

The region around Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland is highly sought-after. Also for entrepreneurs who would like to invest in hotels in the surrounding communities. However, the UNESCO World Heritage title complicates many things from an economic perspective - as an example in Donnerskirchen shows.

Richard Steinböck, the new owner of the "Hotel Weinland" in Donnerskirchen, is angry. When the architect acquired the property, which is located away from the town, he had big plans.

"As the white block here is completely lost in the landscape and the view seems sad, I wanted to make the hotel more attractive for three million euros. I would have liked to install an elevator, renovate the rooms, merge some of them, build balconies and add storeys to create additional apartments for guests. I also wanted to green the parking lot and add a swimming pool," he says and talks about his submission plans, which also met the requirements of the district authority.

A small pool for cooling off was also planned.(Bild: zVg)

Unfortunately, his project "failed due to resistance from the UNESCO World Heritage Site", even though the property is located in a commercial area and the overall building height of ten meters would not have been exceeded. What further infuriates the entrepreneur are the ideas of his opponents:

They would have preferred to sand down the building and densely plant the area with trees. It makes your hair stand on end. All I can say to that is: goodbye economy!

Unternehmer Richard Steinböck macht seinem Ärger Luft

How much dynamism is possible in the region?
The fact is that the cross-border Lake Fertö-Neusiedl region and its unique cultural landscape have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. In order to retain this distinction in the long term, the Lake Fertö-Neusiedl World Heritage Association pays meticulous attention to ensuring that changes are made in a way that is in keeping with the character of the landscape.

When Richard Steinböck submitted his plans, Hannes Klein was managing director of the association. Since the end of February 2024, he is no longer. Nevertheless, he is prepared to take a stand: "First of all, you have to differentiate a little, because UNESCO doesn't specify anything. The organization is based in Paris and has neither the capacity nor the staff to do so. In this specific case, we are talking about the Lake Neusiedl World Heritage Association."

Protecting and safeguarding the World Heritage Site
The surrounding municipalities are supporting members of the association and have undertaken to submit larger construction projects in the World Heritage area to the World Heritage Design Advisory Board. This committee then checks whether the building height, cubature and built-up area meet the criteria for the protection and preservation of the World Heritage Site and then makes recommendations, which have the value of an expert opinion, to the building authorities.

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Seeking dialog
"But even if a project is rejected, developers usually seek dialog again in order to find a viable solution together. I never heard anything from Mr. Steinböck again. That is atypical. If there is real interest, you stick to a matter," says the former manager.

The association is always consensus-oriented and in almost all cases reaches solutions that work for all sides, continues Klein, who is now head of department in the state government. "The best example of a good dialectic process" is the seaside resort in Breitenbrunn with the new marina building. The talks with Esterhazy had dragged on for almost three years. But now everyone is happy.

The Hotel Weinland is now mainly frequented by day tourists as well as temporary workers and fitters who work in the area and need a place to stay overnight.(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

Agreement or hardened fronts
Postscript: "We just need to talk to each other. If Mr. Steinböck still wants to invest, he should definitely restart the process."

Whether he will reconsider, however, is questionable. After all, he only recently decided to run the accommodation as a low-budget hotel: "It's over for me. I'm not chasing after anyone. When the headwind blows in your face like that, it's not much fun. What's more, the current interest rate environment is not conducive to great investments."